


Nighmares

by GabrielLives



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Gabriel in the Men of Letters Bunker, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, and his constant torture has caused gabriel massive mental problems, asmodeus was a dick, gabriel isnt better, sam is there for gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-08 07:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15925394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabrielLives/pseuds/GabrielLives
Summary: Gabriel has returned to the bunker. But his trauma from Asmodeus hasn't left him, and it still gives him terrible nightmares.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo, this was another Gabriel prompt that I got, and it was originally in the Gabriel Prompts fic. But it got way out of hand, and I felt the need to put it as its own fic. 
> 
> Prompt: Sabriel, Gabriel has a nightmare and wants to sleep in Sam's bed but doesnt know how to ask him. Cute fluff and snuggles ensue. 
> 
> Yeah, its taken so long to get to snuggles.

_ “Where do think you're runnin’ off to, boy?” _

_ The familiar voice echoed around him as Gabriel ran, terror cutting through his veins like ice. His feet dragged along the ground, legs felt like jelly as his body ignored his mind screaming  _ RUN!  _ But it felt like he was running through sludge. In the blackness of his surroundings, wicked laughter ran out around him.  _

_ “Come out, come out wherever you are.”  _

_ A sing-song accent attacked his ears, making him flinch violently at the mere sound of it. He caught himself before he fell, and kept running through the black. The nothingness around him stretched on forever, yet suddenly Gabriel found himself trapped by an invisible barrier. Panic started to overtake him as he searched frantically for any break in the unseen wall blocking his path. _

_ “I see you.” _

_ The voice of his tormentor whispered in his ear, and Gabriel turned quickly, his back pressed hard into the barrier. Flashes of white danced around him, the form of a man moving too quickly to follow. The laughter still rang out, a sound he knew far too intimately, as Gabriel tried to scream.  _

_ He tried to call out for help, for anyone, _ **_someone_ ** _ , to save him, to stop the encroaching evil. But his mouth wouldn't open. Only muffled whimpers escaped him.  _

_ The flashes of white grew closer. As Gabriel raised a shaky hand to his lips to feel the rusty wire holding them together, tears flowing down his face, he saw yellow eyes before the being overtook him. _

 

Gabriel’s eyes flew open, his arms and legs flailing around him as he tried to get away from his invisible assailant. His breath came fast and shallow as he cowered under his arms, pressed as far back into the corner of the room as he could get. The voice that was tormenting him was gone, the only sound to be heard was his own pained whimpers. 

Carefully, and ever so slowly, Gabriel brought a hand close, gingerly touching his lips. A shuddering gasp of relief left him when he couldn't feel the bloody stitches that he had worn for so long. He opened his mouth wide, stretching his sore jaw (he must have been grinding his teeth) and whispered, “He’s dead. He’s not here,” a few times until he calmed down a little. 

Still panting a little from his dream, Gabriel stood up, thinking that he had fallen out of bed, but instead found himself in the far corner of the Bunker’s library. 

_ Did I sleepwalk out here? _ Gabriel thought. He looked around, trying to remember anything that wasn't that horrible nightmare. A few of the chairs from the long tables had been overturned, papers and a few books were strewn everywhere. 

“Shit,” he cursed quietly, quickly moving to straighten up the mess before he could retreat to his room. 

“HEY!” 

The loud shout, followed by the telltale sound of a gun being cocked, caused Gabriel to freeze immediately, the fear of his dream hitting him hard again. His heart seemed to skip a few beats and his body betrayed him, shrinking down as small as he could on reflex of the shouting. The only sound he could hear was the pounding of his own pulse, his eyes to the floor in submission.

Gabriel was trembling again when he felt hands on him. He tried to pull back, to get away, but those strong hands held on to him, gently pulled him into a solid body. Tears fell from Gabriel’s eyes, his panic finally overtaking him fully. 

A hand raised, slowly, carefully, and still Gabriel flinched. The body he was pressed against sagged a little, and rough fingers wiped away his tears. 

“Can you hear me yet, Gabriel? I’m just going to keep talking until you do.” 

A voice slowly faded in, the volume getting louder as the noise in his ears weakened. But this voice didn't cause Gabriel more fear. It was familiar, an anchor. It was safe.

“Sam?” His own voice was shaky, rough with fear still flowing through it, but Gabriel relaxed, sank into the warm embrace of the hunter a little bit more. 

“Hey, there he is,” Sam said gently, pulling back a little to look down at Gabriel. “What’s going on? What happened?”

“Um, a nightmare…” Gabriel started, but the words got stuck in his throat. Sam only nodded, humming in understanding. He pulled Gabriel closer, not saying anything for a moment.

“Did I scare you?” Sam whispered. 

Gabriel shook his head, and felt a rumble in Sam’s chest as he laughed.

“Liar,” Sam said with a smile. And there was no way that Gabriel would ever admit to blushing. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed. We can get the mess in the morning.” Sam guided Gabriel down the hallway towards the bedrooms, an arm thrown over his shoulder in a grounding touch. 

But as Gabriel was led away, his stomach dropped at the thought of being alone again.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk down the cold hallway seemed like it took forever. Sam’s fingers on Gabriel’s shoulders felt like they were digging deep into his bones. The cold concrete floor felt like it was burning his bare feet, and every step he took was another that led to more pain, more torture. But there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

Sam guided Gabriel around a corner, and suddenly, he was trapped. Gabriel’s vision tunneled, and the hall seemed to stretch on forever. Inky blackness swirtled at in the corners, threatening to overtake his vision and throw him back into the terror of his nightmare. Gabriel twisted his fingers together, picking at his skin as his breathing grew more and more ragged. 

“Gabriel?” Sam’s voice pulled him back a little, reminded him that he was safe at the bunker. “You ok?”

“Oh, um, yeah. Sure thing, Sammy.” Gabriel’s voice was shaking slightly, but even with his eyes darting all around him, he managed a small smile at the tall hunter. Sam frowned, clearly not convinced by the archangels attempts to prove he was alright.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I’ve been talking to you this whole time and you haven't responded at all. Plus, you're still trembling.” 

Gabriel stuttered for a moment, trying to find the right words. “Um, you know, it was just a nightmare. Guess I’m still trying to shake it off.”

“Hmm,” Sam hummed, clearly not buying it. “Ok, well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Yeah, ok.”

Sam gave one last comforting squeeze to Gabriel’s shoulder, then turned to head to his room, leaving Gabriel standing dumbly in front of his own. But as he turned to open the door, Gabriel found himself frozen. The thought of going back into that room again made his stomach roll and his lungs constrict painfully.

They had given him his old room back. The room where he used a little of his already faded grace to sear his story on the walls as a way to reach out, and a few protections too. When he left after he defeated Asmodeus, Sam and Dean had to tear down the drywall to get rid of it. But the fragment of grace that he used never left. It hung in the air, and Gabriel was unwilling to let that small bit of tainted and fractured grace back into his body. He didn't want another part of him to be sullied by the presence of the demon who tortured him for years. 

Gabriel knew that’s what caused his terrible nightmares, what made him feel like there were eyes on him all the time. His grace wanted him back, wanted to be whole again. But it was warped, gruesome, almost self aware. Gabriel hated being alone with it. 

Hands were on him again, cupping his jaw softly, fingers wiping away tears that Gabriel didn't know were falling. 

“Gabriel?” Sam was crowded up close to him, worry coloring his features. “Gabriel, talk to me.”

He tried, he really did. He tried to tell Sam that most nights he could handle it, that the room didn't always remind him of being tortured, that he hated being alone. But when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out were raspy broken gasps. He sucked in shallow breaths as he felt the strength in his legs start to fade. Sam was there to catch him, though, and he half carried, half dragged Gabriel down the hall to his own room.

“Alright, you're ok,” Sam said as he guided Gabriel into his room, leaving the door open so the panicy angel didn't feel trapped. “Here we go. Sit right here.” He sat Gabriel on the edge of the bed and dropped to his knees in front of him. Sam scooted in close, right in between Gabriel’s legs and gently stroked his hands up and down Gabriel’s arms. “I need you to breathe, Gabriel. Can you try and do that for me?”

It took him a second, but Gabriel nodded. 

“Good,” Sam smiled wide. “Breathe with me. Ok? In…,” his hands slid up Gabriel’s arms as they both took a breath in, “and out.” Sam’s hands glided down as their breaths mingled between them, ending with Gabriels hands clutched in his own, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “So good, Gabriel. You're doing so good. Can you do it again?” 

They repeated the process a few times, breathing in and out, until Gabriel’s panic had subsided and his tears had stopped. 

Sam reached up, a hand on Gabriel’s neck as he rose from the floor. “I’m gonna get you some water, ok?”

Gabriel only nodded, his eyes on the floor. 

Sam retrieved the water quickly, and sat on the bed next to Gabriel as he handed him the glass. 

“Wanna tell me what happened?” Sam asked as Gabriel took a few gulps of water. 

“...I can't go back in there. Not right now.” Gabriel gripped the glass in his hands so hard it could crack. 

Sam raised a hand to Gabriel’s back. “Can you tell me why?”

Gabriel spoke around the lump forming in his throat again, his words hushed and terrified. “He’s still in there.”

“Oh, Gabriel.” Sam’s heart ached for his friend. “I’m so sorry,” he said as he pulled Gabriel into a loose side hug. “He can't hurt you anymore. He is dead. You killed him, remember?” 

“I know, Sam. I know,” Gabriel whispered as he leaned into Sam’s solid form, “but it just feels like he’s not gone. He’ll never be gone, not all the way. And I can't…” The tears formed in his eyes again, and Gabriel could feel himself crumbling under the weight of everything again.

Suddenly, Sam was up off the bed, surprising Gabriel as he rounded to the other side. 

“Sam,” Gabriel asked in bewilderment, “what are you doing?”

As he pulled his blankets back, Sam smiled at him. “Get in, Gabriel.”

Gabriel was off the bed just as quick as Sam was, backing up towards the door with his hands up in defeat. “Oh, no. No, Sam. You don't have to let me in your bed.” Gabriel’s heart ached with each word that fell out of his mouth. There was nothing more that he wanted than to lay with Sam, to feel protected by the large hunter. He hadn't felt safe in so long. 

But Sam wasn't going to hear any of Gabriel’s protests. 

“I’m not going to let you be alone tonight, Gabriel.” Sam caught Gabriel before he could bolt out the open door. He gripped Gabriel’s wrists gently, and after a quick thought, raised them up to place a kiss on one of Gabriel’s palms, the other pressed against his chest. “And I’m not going to let you be afraid anymore.”

Gabriel stared wide eyed at the man in front of him, shocked at the tender kiss. “...Sam.” 

“Please come to bed,” Sam pleaded in a hushed voice. “Let me help you.” 

A tear fell, rolled down Gabriel’s cheek until Sam reached out to wipe it away. It was all too much for him, and Gabriel cried. More tears came, the sobs hurt his lungs, but Sam was there for him. He wrapped Gabriel in his long arms, held him while he weeped. When he quieted a little, Sam easily picked up the angel, and with Gabriel’s arms wrapped around his neck, he got them both into his bed. 

“It’s ok. I’ve got you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel cried as he listened to Sam’s words, did his best to believe them. He let Sam’s larger body envelope him, block him out from the world around him. And as he focused on the feeling of Sam’s fingers in his hair and the light rumble in his chest as the hunter spoke, Gabriel drifted off to sleep again. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends. What was supposed to be a 800-1k drabble turned into this monster fic! But who came out a winner? You did hopefully. I hope you guys like it!

_ Pressure. _

_ Gabriel felt pressure all around him.  _

_ The neverending blackness surrounded him, and Gabriel was floating. Or maybe not. It was impossible to gain his bearings in this nothingness.  _

_ He couldn't breathe, a weight on his chest that seemed to come from all directions. As the thick air around him pushed inwards, everything inside him felt like it was being forced out. There was a horrible pulsing throughout everything. The tension on his bones was pushing and bending them to their limits, Gabriel could almost feel them getting ready to snap.  _

_ He wanted to cry out, to scream at the pain, but his breath was stuck in his lungs. He couldn't see, couldn't hear beyond the racing of his blood in his ears.  _

_ “Did you think you could be free of me so easily, juice box?” _

_ The voice echoed deep in his mind, and if Gabriel had the ability to move, he would have flinched, tried to run, but he knew that it wasn't just the strain on his body keeping him in place. _

_ Something ran through his hair, a light touch making itself known against the heaviness of the vacant black. Gabriel whimpered, or tried to, and the voice shushed him. _

_ “Come now, Gabriel. Be a good boy for me.” The caress turned into a clench. “I’m feeling a might parched.” The hand in his hair pulled harshly, exposing his neck. There was a phantom press of fingers on his throat, gentle, caring. Tears fell, running hot down Gabriel’s cheek. The air around him rumbled with the voice’s amused hum. “Don’t mind if I do.”  _

_ The hold on his neck tightened, sharp pain radiating throughout his whole body, and... _

...Gabriel was screaming. Loud and piercing.

“NO! Don't touch me!!”

Gabriel’s cries echoed around him, his breath and voice finally free of their invisible binds. He tried to move, his body seemed to have weight again, and found he could. Gabriel heaved his body, attempted to roll away from the being trying to drain his grace dry, but could only manage to kick his legs wildly. A heavy force on his arms was pressing him down, holding him while he flailed. 

“Stop, Gabriel!” A voice called to him, sounded worried, but Gabriel has been fooled too many times to listen anymore.

He kicked and screamed still, felt his foot connect with something with a pained grunt. But as he tried to spin away, the hold on his arms only tightened, and a heavy weight fell over his legs, pinning them down as Gabriel’s tears fell.

“Get off!” Gabriel yelled, but the fierceness of his voice drained away as he realized he was trapped again. “Please don’t,” he whispered through his tears. “I’m sorry.”

_ “Gabriel!” _

Sam hissed his name, and Gabriel’s eyes flew open with a gasp. He saw Sam above him, the hunter's strong legs straddling his and pushing him down into the bed. They both stared at each other for a minute, both breathing heavy, Sam’s worried eyes meeting Gabriel’s terrified ones.

Gabriel stared as Sam sat up, blinked away his tears as Sam let go of his arms and slid off his legs. 

“Sorry,” Sam whispered, “but you were fighting.”

“Did I kick you?” Gabriel asked, his voice raspy from the screaming. He sat up too, pulled his knees to his chest as he leaned back against the headboard. 

“Only a little,” Sam smiled as he rubbed his chest where Gabriel's foot had connected. He tried to laugh it off, like he won't have a giant bruise there before the day is over. But Gabriel is an archangel, and taking a blow from one, even depowered, hurt like hell. 

Gabriel didn't laugh back.

Quiet settled into the room. Sam didn't like it. He didn't like the way Gabriel sat there, stone still, pointedly not looking in his direction. A flash of Gabriel dressed in rags, dried blood and dirt coating every inch of his too small body, in this same position and Sam’s heart rate spiked.

_ Don't let him drop, Sam.  _

Another second of silence, and Sam’s twitching fingers couldn't hold still anymore. He reached out, a tentative hand placed on Gabriel’s arm. Sam felt him trembling.

“Gabriel?” he asked quietly, unable to hide his nerves. “Talk to me.  _ Please.”  _

He inched closer, trying to remove the space between them without towering over the obviously frightened angel.

Gabriel’s breath was shaky, and he still wouldn't look at Sam. But Sam could see his mind working, and all he had to do was wait.

“...just a nightmare.”

“Seemed pretty bad,” Sam said as he sat next to Gabriel, hips touching as his arm snaked its way to Gabriel’s shoulders. “Like a night terror, or something.”

Gabriel made a non-committal noise, and kept his eyes to the far wall. 

“Wanna talk about it?” When he only got an indignant huff out of him, Sam’s hand on Gabriel gave a comforting squeeze. “You said… you said  _ ‘Don’t’. _ ”

The way Sam’s voice fell, the terrible sadness in it, it made the tears come back to Gabriel's eyes. Another reminder of how far he’s fallen, how weak he is. How right Asmodeus was. He couldn't stop it when he started shaking again, tried so hard to keep his lips from quivering.

Judging by the way Sam’s grip tightened even more, he doesn't think he succeeded. 

“...Gabriel.”

“I couldn't move. Everything hurt. And he...he was doing  _ that _ again.” Gabriel sniffled and tried to sink down further into the bed. Sam just pulled him closer. 

“Your grace?” Sam asked carefully.

“Yeah.” 

“I am so incredibly sorry that happened to you, Gabriel. But you’re still here. Still fighting against him. Just by being alive, you win. You  _ beat  _ him. And, this might not be something you wanna hear, but I am so proud of you.” Gabriel’s eyes snapped up, caught off guard at the confession. What had he done to be proud of? “I really am, Gabriel. Don't look at me like that. To be honest, I am in awe of you.” Sam’s eyes darted nervously away, his voice almost a whisper. “You spent so much time with that  _ demon _ , and we didn't do anything to help you.”

“You didn't know,” Gabriel replied.

“That’s not good enough,” Sam said sharply, looking back to Gabriel. “We did nothing to help you, and you're still here, in the bunker, with us. With...with me. We don't deserve any of your help. You're so strong, Gabriel. Even if your grace is fighting you.”

As Gabriel took in the sweet words Sam was saying, all he could do was stare. His mouth hung open slightly, like there was an argument on the tip of his tongue but he'd never get the words out.

“Sam.” The breathy word was all he could muster, taken back by Sam's kind words. The tension in his body seemed to melt away as he relaxed in Sam’s grasp. He leaned closer, pressed a hand to Sam’s wide chest to steady himself. His eyes flicked to Sam’s mouth, back up, then Gabriel closed the distance between them with a press of their lips. 

It was quick, a gentle kiss for the gentle words, and when Gabriel pulled back he felt like he'd rather stay there, wrapped up in Sam’s arms and safe. 

“Um, what was that?” Sam asked, and the color drained from Gabriel’s face when he saw the wide eyed look of surprise of his face. 

“Guessing.” Gabriel felt his stomach sink to his feet, and looked away in embarrassment and heart ache. How could he be so stupid? “Guessed wrong,” he mumbled.

Gabriel tried to get up, just face the foul  _ thing _ in his room again and try to forget anything happened between them. Ever. He’s sure he’ll hear about this for the rest of eternity. But he was shocked when Sam didn't let go, just held him tighter. A hand touched his jaw, large and warm and right. It guided him back, tugged on him until he was facing a smiling Sam again. 

Gabriel melted. Sam’s smile could thaw the Arctic, those dimples shining and telling him it was ok. 

He’s not sure how it happened, but one of his legs was stretched over Sam’s, so that now Gabriel was straddling Sam's thighs.

_ Oh god… _

“Don't leave.” Their breath mixed in the admittedly small space between them, foreheads touching as Sam pleaded for him to stay. “Please.”

Gabriel was shaking again, his pulse racing through his veins with anticipation. “Why?” It was a whisper, a prayer, as grounding as the press of hands on his hips and the feel of Sam's hair on his fingers. “Why, Sam?”

A lick of his lips, and Sam dove in. Jumped at Gabriel, a long arm snaked around that slim frame to pull him so close there was nothing that could get between them while the other rose higher, the skin on Gabriel's neck caressed and held tight. He kissed him hard, Gabriel's spine bending too far back to return it properly. But oh did he try. 

The angle wasn't right and Gabriel had no leverage like this, yet he clawed at Sam, pressed his hips forward to get delicious friction. He felt tiny with Sam's hands exploring his body, and his whimpers and mewls seemed to get lost in the sounds of movement and touching.

When they broke apart, Gabriel was a mess. His hair was mussed, clothes askew from being pawed at, and Gabriel was in heaven. His chest was so tight he couldn't breathe, and judging by the way Sam was swiping fingers on his cheeks, he was crying again.

“Stay. You deserve good things, Gabriel. Please, please let me show you how good you are.”

And so, Gabriel stayed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should this get porn?


End file.
